The junior at Grand Blanc High School mixes soccer and track and performs when it counts.

With his 4:02.02 victory last Saturday in the adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile in New York, Michigan junior Grant Fisher completed a sweep of major high school championships in all three seasons. Last fall, Fisher, who attends Grand Blanc High School, won the Foot Locker cross country championship in San Diego. In the winter, at the New York Armory, Fisher won the New Balance Indoor Nationals mile title before completing the sweep in the Dream Mile. Fisher, who tends to keep a low profile during the regular season, went into each post-season event with times that weren’t among the nation’s fastest.

Dream Mile: With Josh Evans of Iowa leading the field at Icahn Stadium through the 800m in 2:02.17, Fisher ran patiently in mid-pack as planned. He moved into fifth at 1000 meters, then into third around the turn, and was in second at the bell lap. Evans’ 1200m split was 3:02.73 and he had a 5-meter lead over Fisher. With 200 meters to go, there were six boys still in contention. A confident Fisher bolted ahead with a roundhouse sprint for a decisive triumph. His last lap was in 58 seconds.

Fast Times: Fisher’s 4:02.02, a 7-second PR, is the fifth-fastest U.S. high school junior time ever. The national junior record is Jim Ryun’s 3:59.0 from 1964. Fisher turned 17 on April 22, which makes him younger than most juniors. The Dream Mile meet record is 3:59.71 by Lukas Verzbicas in 2011.

Complete Repertoire: After the race, the unassuming Fisher gave credit to the deep field for his sterling performance. His coach, Mike Scannell is well aware of Fisher’s athletic assets. “Grant has marvelous race instincts,” says Scannell, a two-time Olympic trials marathoner and current masters headliner. “He locked into the strategy we set up and executed perfectly.”

Happy Underdog: For almost a year now—starting with last summer’s World Youth Championships—few fans outside of Michigan have paid much attention to Fisher. That is, until he’s nailed a huge breakthrough. “Being an underdog is a great thing for me,” said Fisher, who at 16 won his World Youth Games qualifying heat to make the 1500m final against African competition in Donetsk, Ukraine. “It’s a lot easier to fly under the radar and do your own thing.”

Consistent Records: Despite Fisher’s international credentials, he wasn’t a favorite to win Foot Locker when the 2013 cross country season began. Likewise, in New York last March, Fisher flew under the radar leading up to his defeat of Millrose Games mile champion Luke Gavigan of New York to win the national indoor mile decisively in 4:09.67. That time was still Fisher’s PR when he took the line in the Dream Mile; leaving him with the 10th best PR in the 14-runner field. After Fisher’s kick broke up the tight pack, four runners followed him across the line in under 4:05, led by runner-up junior Matthew Maton of Oregon in 4:03.23.

Late Peak: Fisher has quietly built his spring season, working toward a June and July peak. Despite recent, pro-level workouts like 10 x 400m in “under 60” with a 200m recovery jog, Fisher says his fitness is “still on the rise.” He will run the 2-mile on Saturday in the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle. Then he’ll compete in the World junior trials 1500m in Eugene, Oregon, in early July, and, if he makes the U.S. team, in the World Junior Championships, also in Eugene, in late July.

Soccer Star: One reason for Fisher’s low profile is that he is also a year round soccer star. With the two sports on his plate, Fisher has little time to travel the country for the big track events. While training for the Dream Mile, Fisher also played soccer until two weeks ago. (For the record, he is rooting for Argentina in the World Cup.) “We adjust Grant’s training because of soccer,” Scannell says. “A portion of his fitness is from soccer. It complements his running.”

Tourist Trade: Prior to the Dream Mile, Fisher ran his slowest mile ever. After traveling from Grand Blanc (population: 8,000) to New York—“the big city,” as Fisher calls it—he “tried to go for a run” from his midtown Manhattan hotel through car and pedestrian traffic to Central Park. “It was less than a mile,” Fisher says. “It took us 15 minutes.”

Upset Minded: At the Brooks PR Invitational, Fisher will look to defeat the 2-mile specialists. The field includes three other runners from the Dream Mile, led by Californian Blake Haney, the national 3200m leader with his 8:46.80 victory at the Arcadia Invitational in April. Fisher’s PR is 8:55.75.

Sub-4:00: Fisher has a shot at a sub-4:00 mile equivalent in July in the junior 1500m competition. (He’ll need a 3:42.21.) If that doesn’t materialize, what about a sub-4:00 mile next season as a high school senior? “If Grant breaks the tape before 4 flat at some point,” Scannell says, “I’ll be so happy for him.” Another way to look at it? Says Scannell: “Every positive experience leads to another positive experience.”